A Foley police car patrols a street in the south Baldwin County city. The Ford Crown Victoria, the standard patrol car for many police departments since 1992, has been discontinued. Foley plans to replace some vehicles with Chevrolet Tahoes. (File photo)

MOBILE, Alabama -- After almost 20 years as the standard in patrol cars for many departments, the loss of the Ford Crown Victoria leaves some agencies searching for a replacement for aging fleets.

The last “Crown Vic,” as officers often call the model, rolled off the assembly line in September, according to Ford reports.

For several years, some local departments have put off or cut back purchases due to budget shortages related to the slow economy and oil spill-related problems. In Foley, some police cars are nearing the end of their useful life, Lt. Thurston Bullock, patrol division commander, said.

“Some are over 100,000 miles, and recently with federal mandates, the Crown Vic is going away because its current platform is outdated and they have decided to scrap that platform rather than try to modify it to meet the guidelines that are coming in,” Bullock said. “The Crown Vic, which has been a staple of the police fleet, has gone away. A lot of the major manufacturers are trying to capture that market.”

The Alabama Department of Public Safety is testing several alternatives offered by manufacturers to fill the gap, Sgt. Steve Jarrett, state trooper spokesman, said Thursday. Police versions of Dodge Chargers, Chevrolet Caprices and Tahoes, and Ford’s new police interceptor, based on a Taurus frame, will be tested to determine which model works best on Alabama highways, he said.

“We’re looking at what’s going to be the most effective and efficient,” Jarrett said. “The Crown Vic was the police car for a long time. It was a good car.”

Mobile police are also testing models, such as the Charger and Caprice, before deciding on the replacement for the Crown Victorias now in the fleet, Cpl. Chris Levy, department spokesman, said.

“They’re looking at different options,” Levy said Thursday. “They haven’t made a decision on where to go from here.”

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office tested the police version of the Tahoe and plans to buy 21 of the SUVs in the spring as replacements for Crown Victorias, Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack said. The department is now taking bids for the vehicles.

“The price is only going to be about $1,000 or so different and the gas mileage with the new Chevrolet engine is comparable to that of the Crown Vics,” Mack said. “We just feel that it is going to be a more suited patrol vehicle, particularly for rural areas and the areas that we deal with versus an urban setting as a city or town.”

The Foley City Council also voted this week to buy four Tahoes off the state bid list as police fleet replacements. The sports utility vehicles offer more room and a rugged truck frame that is safer for officers and passengers, Bullock said.

He said the sport utility vehicle also has a cruise mode that allows the eight-cylinder Tahoe to operate on four cylinders when more power is not needed, reducing fuel consumption.

Foley Councilman Ralph Hellmich said city officials can look at other options in upcoming years.

“There are some new police specials that are coming out, but they’re brand-new, and I know that you thought it was a good idea to go with a proven thing and let the bugs be worked out by other people,” Hellmich told Bullock.

The Tahoes on the state bid list will cost about $27,000 each, Randy Bishop, assistant police chief, said. He said the SUVs should also have a higher value when resold after their time in the police fleet.